Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Dragon’s Pretend Marriage Chapter 15

Milton

Heels clicked down the hallway. Lights glared through my sunglasses. Cold air swept over my shoulders. I clenched my teeth while trying to focus on my phone.

But I couldn't concentrate. I was too distracted.

Everything about my penthouse suite angered me. The footsteps were too loud. The smells were too strong. The lights were too bright.

My phone rang again for the millionth time. The name of my new assistant splashed across the screen. Mark M. It wasn't unusual for my phone to blow up during business hours, but I was busy.

My cheek twitched as I answered the call. "Yes, Mark? This better be good. I'm busy."

Busy walking.

Down the hallway.

Toward the library.

But he didn't need to know that. "Spill it. Come on."

"Your parents just called again, sir. They're asking about your meeting."

"What meeting?"

He choked. Papers rustled in the background. Something hit the ground.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Mark, get it together. I'm not going to fire you."

"No, sir. I didn't think so, sir. It's just-oops."

The sound of water trickled somewhere.

I sighed. "That better not be the new carpet."

"No, sir, just-"

"The meeting, Mark. What meeting?"

More pages rustled. "The new acquisition with Beam Enterprises. It says they were supposed to go over the new Al app they want to release with you."

I froze in the hallway. I was just inches away from the library door. While my palm ached to make contact with the knob, my brain tried to reason with me. Walk away. Pretend like you weren't just trying to inhale her scent from the loveseat again. My eyes closed without prompting. "Alright, can you email Beam's assistant and get them to reschedule?"

"Already did that for you, sir."

Relief swamped my muscles. "You're a lifesaver, Mark."

"I'm doing my best."

"The best that any human can do." I grinned even though he couldn't see me. "Remember, you signed an NDA. If we find anything about dragons on Reddit that isn't the usual stuff, I'm firing you."

He coughed and cleared his throat. "Of course, sir. I understand. Thank you, Mr. Kane. I appreciate that-"

One tap disconnected the call. If there was anything I hated more than begging, it was kissing a*s. And I'd had quite enough of having my a*s kissed lately.

I just wanted some peace and quiet.

A door slapped shut behind me. I whirled around to find one of the maids carrying a load of laundry out of the guest suite.

One of them was a silk top that Brandi used to wear all the time.

"Hang on a second!" I called after her. "Hand me that shirt."

The maid paused and held up the garment. She waited for a second, watching me intently. I waved her away.

The woman took forever to shuffle around a corner. But once she did and the coast was clear, I held the garment to my nose and closed my eyes.

Tea tree oil, rosemary, and mint met my senses. A hint of olive oil remained but only around the places where Brandi would sweat the most.

It reminded me of my favorite Italian place.

I held the garment reverently, admiring the glossy purple silk.

I wish I could have taken her there. She would have loved it.

I gripped the top.

Why am I even mad about it? She's the one that cut things off. She's the one that left. It's better this way. It's easier. It's...

It was awful.

My eyes burned as I marched toward my suite, clenching the blouse in my hand as hard as I could muster. When I was safely behind closed doors, I marched to the closet. I locked myself inside. I threw myself to the left.

Cool fabric met my hot face. If I closed my eyes, it smelled exactly like Brandi. It felt like her, too, that soothing confidence mixed with sultry elegance. She was perfect for me-even if she'd been faking it.

But she wasn't faking it, I thought. And neither was I.

One day without her was enough time to make me realize that her presence did more for me than anything else. My entire routine was off. Her silk pillow sat unused right next to my cotton pillow, hosting a faded impression where her head once rested. It was terrible to see when I woke up.

You don't want to let me in.

She was right. I didn't. I couldn't allow it to happen. Because if I allowed it, then she would hurt me.

That was all women did. They hurt me. They used me. That was how it went.

How could I have possibly trusted Brandi with my heart?

My eyes burned again. Damn allergies were getting in the way of me having a private dramatic moment, weren't they?

I shook my head. I have to go back to her. I have to tell her I can't live without her.

My thoughts shocked me with the boldness of their truth.

The blouse slipped from my grip. I watched it flutter to the ground where it remained lifeless. For a second, I expected it to fly off just like Brandi-but I knew that was ridiculous.

Her clothes weren't her personality. Yet they reminded me of her all the same.

Which was why I had to get back to her.

I took four resolute steps to the center of the closet. I reached for the string hanging above my head and tugged on it, pulling down the stairs that led into the crawl space above. Dust rained onto the ground. I sneezed and cursed simultaneously.

Allergies.

It was weird for a dragon to get the sniffles. We rarely got sick. And when we did manage to get sick, it usually consisted of hay fever.

For me to get sneezed up meant that my immune system wasn't functioning properly.

And I had to attribute that to Brandi not being around.

After taking a deep breath, I climbed the ladder. The crawl space opened up enough for me to crouch. I scooted around on my knees, searching every box I came across. Nothing seemed to be fit for Brandi.

She liked jewelry. She liked shiny things. But she liked shiny things with stories behind them. She spoke of distant worlds in her sleep. I wanted to give her something that would prove my affection.

I couldn't very well show up empty-handed, could I? That simply wouldn't do. A woman like Brandi needed to be more than impressed. She needed to be dazzled.

Box after box got emptied. And box after box proved useless.

I was ready to give up when I reached the back of the crawl space. One box remained. It was a collection of my grandmother's things.

"Weird," I whispered as I plucked it open. "Mom should have kept this. Not me."

Crumpled papers crowded over a series of smaller boxes. Most of them were cigar boxes but some of them were fine velvet jewelry boxes. A violet one caught my eye. I lifted it up and held it to the dim bulbs above my head, illuminating its contents. And what I saw was more dazzling than I could have imagined.

A smile slid across my lips as I plucked the item from its silky bed. I tucked it into my pocket, closed the box, and put everything back into place. Crawling back to the ladder took little to no time.

My body felt light, my spirit felt lighter. Everything was coming together. It made no sense to find that box-but it didn't matter. What I needed was in my pocket.

What I needed next was to fly.

***

Brandi wasn't home when I knocked. Tanner sent me off to the woods, pointing out a few trails that Brandi loved to run in the evening. The sun still clung to the horizon, a hazy orange glowing around me as I darted into the forest.

A web caught my face. I swiped my mouth, trying to get rid of the sticky feeling that cleaved my skin. While my feet carried me forward, my blood raced in my veins, circulating to a rhythm that I sensed coming from the ground. The stickier the webs, the more my limbs moved without prompt. It was like my body knew where to go even though I had no earthly clue.

This has happened before, I thought. The weird web feeling has led me to Brandi.

Recognition alone wasn't enough. I had to prove it to myself. I had to know. Was it true? Did invisible webs actually keep our spirits tied together?

Or did I just have a weird way of attracting spiders?

Light broke through the trees. The leaves caught fire. The branches swayed forward, tunneling the path. I could see where I was going without even trying to look. My vision glossed as Greek fire sprouted around my peripheral. I knew where I was going.

She was calling me.

Seconds later, I skidded to a halt in a clearing. The breeze tickled my neck as I paused to catch my breath, wrestling with the voice in the back of my head that kept nagging me to turn around. Fear was his name. But I was done listening to him. Whatever happened with Brandi was meant to happen. Even if that meant rejection.

I slid my hand into my pocket and palmed the ring.

But first...

An ash-brown wolf lapped water from a pond. The breeze ruffled her fur, carving paths into her hair like the wind cutting through a meadow. She lifted her head and observed me quietly, green eyes clotted with a silver sheen. Drops of moonlight puddled around her eyes. She was crying.

I stumbled forward a few steps and then fell to my knees. It must have been such a sight-Milton Kane, the billionaire dragon shifter, prostrating himself before a beautiful wolf who could have bested me in strength were we the same size.

My throat clogged up as my thoughts drifted away. Nothing was left to do. I just had to wait for her to approach me.

Her focus never left me. She stepped toward me, long strides echoing confidence with every step. She had been utterly destroyed emotionally, left to rot because of me, and yet she carried herself with grace.

It was the kind of thing I didn't deserve after the stunt I had pulled.

I took a shaky breath and bowed my head. "I'm sorry, Brandi. I'm sorry for everything I put you through. I'm sorry for not listening."

She stopped a few feet away from me. She didn't make a sound.

"I was stupid to let you run off. I was going to tell you." I licked my lips. They suddenly felt so dry. "I was going to try with you."

No response.

I probably deserved that, too. "You deserve more than trying, moonbeam. You deserve dedication. You deserve a mate who actually wants you in their life."

She lowered her head. Her fur rustled again, drawing back to reveal brand-new shimmering skin. Her fingers curled into the earth as she arched her back, eyes closed, joints cracking as they popped back into place. A soft groan surfaced next. A sigh after that. She lifted her chin and opened her eyes, sitting back on her feet.

No remorse. No sign of bashfulness.

Sweet gods, she was gorgeous.

For a moment, all I could do was stare at her. Those trim brows, those high cheekbones, that gentle grin. She always looked content somehow. It came easily to her.

I stared at the tattered jeans that I had carried in my mouth on the way here. I studied the outline of the ring in my pocket. I waited for a sign.

I'm tired of waiting. I looked at Brandi, fear dripping from every inch of me-and commitment, too. I'm going to show her exactly how she makes me feel.

"Brandi," I whispered while reaching into my pocket. "I don't want to fake it ever again. Can we make this real?"

Her eyes widened. Her shoulders shuddered. Her whole body tensed up.

She stared at me for the longest time. Contentment sat on her features despite the shock in her gaze. It felt like an eternity passed while I waited for her to respond. And waited. And waited.

But the answer never came. She made no move to reply. She just stared at the ring.

I knew I was going to get burned again.